February 26, 2010



Teen Ink
P.O. Box 30
Newtown, MA 02461
www.teenInk.com


Dear Editor:

How would you feel if one of your friends or family members died in a car accident due to a cell phone? One mother and her child felt this pain as they watched her husband and baby crash and die simply because he was distracted by hanging up his cell phone. Using cell phones while driving should be banned, because it is a distraction and because it can lead to an accident or worse.

One in 20 crashes, 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the U.S. every year happen because of a cell phone. How could that all be prevented? By banning the use of cell phones while driving. Banning cell phones would lead to more people focusing on the roads and fewer accidents. Studies show that people with .08% blood-alcohol content hit the brake faster and cause fewer accidents than people who are sober and talking on the cell phone. It’s crazy to think that while on your cell phone you are more likely to cause an accident than a person who is drunk.

You might say hands-free or Bluetooth is just like talking to the person sitting next to you, right? Wrong. Studies done by a professor at the University of Utah prove that the person sitting next to you acts like another pair of eyes on the road. If they see that something is going to happen they will stop talking or they will warn you. Bluetooth or any other hands free device is not safe to use while you are driving.

There is no safe way to be using your cell phone while driving. You could end up dead or killing someone. The use of cell phones while driving should be banned immediately.

Sincerely



Nicole